Alpicool P18

Last update: Bodega responded within two hours of my reaching out for warranty details! The warranty is complete and the process simple with no need to ship anything to China. I am glad I cancelled my Alpicool order and ordered the seemingly identical Bodega unit. As a seller, I highly recommend Onetree, the Bodega seller on Amazon and the folks at the other end of the Messenger Chat session I had.Fourth update: I did get a contact from Alpicool - but only *AFTER* I requested cancellation. Their response to my explanation and an offer for them to try and “make it right was given a terse response. They did cancel the new (replacement) order. I can recommend the product, but not the seller. Let’s see how the Bodega-labeled unit performs. I won’t purchase another Alpicool product after this experience.Third update: I cancelled the replacement order and ordered the Bodega 25k. Same unit. Inventory in the US. Flash deal @$240. Free returns. Probably made by Alpicool, and it’s another Chinese trading company - but I’m really put off by the lack of support response. Additionall, although I can cancel the Bodega unit directly on Amazon, I had to “request cancellation” from Alpicool even though it was only 15 or 20 minutes after I ordered. I like the cooler but not the seller.Second update: I have not had any contact from Alpicool. So be mindful of the return period and the warranty period. Because we purchased well in advance of when we needed the cooler we were well beyond the return period. In fact, even though we were well within the a year system and 3 year compressor warranty - neither does any good if the seller (Alpicool USA) doesn’t respond. Amazon to the rescue! Being a long term Prime member has benefits. With zero hassle, Amazon’s phone rep was empowered to issue a return authorization with free return shipping (less a 10% restocking fee). I’m not going to whine about the $25 fee or the $12 for UPS packing. I’m going to celebrate Amazon’s performance.As for the cooler? Well, it performed well and very efficiently so rather switch brands to the devil I don’t know, I reordered one I do know. One key requirement we had was loop handles I can use to strap the cooler down to our Compact SUV’s cargo loops and most small compressor coolers only have molded grips, not loop handles. Since the core compressor is from LG I choose to assume our vibration/noise issue was a one-off. As for Alpicool being non-responsive? I might continue trying to get them to respond if only to post yet another update.First update: the cooler met our requirements on the road. When plugged into an Ecoflow Pro the overnight drawdown was only 20-25% or the total charge so good efficiency when used as a fridge at 38 degrees (in cooler overnight weather). HOWEVER - after the first 4-5 days of use in the car on 12v the compressor developed a very loud vibration for the first 5-8 minutes after start-up, then things quieted down. I am now concerned about a potential failure.I sent an email to Alpicool on the 8th or 9th and have not had a response. Today, 10/13 I left a voicemail on their "Google Phone" voicemail system which reflects their Ontario California address. The phone number in the app seems to be for Romania or Kazakhstan. So now the jury is out re customer support. I will report back with progress. If the process is a bit goofy but effective I will report that. If the support fails I will report that and then follow up with Amazon. Fingers crossed . . .=====================================================================We purchased this cooler to use in conjunction with an EcoFlow Pro "power pack" in our car for long road trips. The Alpicool will plug into the EcoFlow Pro and the Pro will connect to a 10 amp 12v socket in the car for charging on the go. Energy efficiency is, therefore, important.We've been running the Alpicool for 2 weeks in "freezer mode" in our kitchen to test temp control etc. The unit can go to 15 degrees F and has varied between 15 and 18 degrees. The fan is VERY quiet. We've had commercial ice in the unit and it has stayed in individual cubes and hasn't become a solid mass - a good indicator of consistent temperature. We also had it functioning as a fridge for 3-4 days running off of the EcoFlow *without charging*. We put in about 1/2 capacity of precooled beverages and fruit and opened the lid 3-5 times a day. With the temp set at 34 degrees F we saw the indicator vary from 33-37 degrees. I kept a thermometer in the unit during that time and it was consistent with the Alpicool display.The Alpicool also has a handy iOS app that provides control thru Bluetooth that works well in the car so we can check/change the cooler on our phones when we are in the front and the cooler is in the back. Very handy.We are very impressed with this unit - and our prior experience is with a larger, very expensive Dometic that we used on our pilothouse boat. If considering a car cooler, I suggest using a quality compressor-based cooler and not a thermocouple device. For a slight premium you get better, more consistent performance with higher efficiency. We don't have experience with other "affordable" compressor-based coolers but this Alpicool compares favorably with the Dometic we had.

As an OTR truck driver I always get this brand I got the smaller one at first but I wanted something bigger but not too big to where it has to be in the passenger seat and this one was just right!

We bought this refrigerator to work as a fridge not as a freezer. We wanted something to keep our beverage cold during a road trip without the need of ice or freeze packs. This refrigerator fits the bill. We power this with a 1000W Jackery and during a 8-hour of use it consumes about 8% of the battery, depending on the temperature of the car. In freezer mode may consumes more but haven't test it.If your intention is to buy a lot of meat from the grocery store and put it in the refrigerator and go someplace else it may not work...for this I recommend a bigger unit. You may able to fit some but not a lot since the interior space is not big for big packages.The only thing to mentioned is that the plastic of this unit is a little bit brittle. A piece of plastic from the ventilation area was already broken when it arrive....but it was a tinny bit of plastic that didn't affect the function of the unit...I didn't return it because it was not a mayor concern. You need to be gentle with this unit.Make sure you read the instructions before use. When you receive the unit it needs to be leveled for a few hours before use for the refrigerant to settle.Do I recommend this unit? Of course!! If you have the money...go ahead.

I have gotten a lot for my money with this little refrigerator. 11 months of continuous use living in my vehicle and still works. I can recommend this item to anyone understanding of the cons below.Cons:The latch for the lid does not hold the lid tight to the seal so if you have something on the inside pushing up on the lid it won't seal all the way. The temperature setting doesn't seem accurate so I have to have to set the temp higher than expected (~44 degree F to keep stuff from freezing).Pros:Reliable, cheap, and doesn't draw much energy.